The Quickest Way to Frustrate the Empire
by RiddleRose13
Summary: In which Ahsoka and Rex reform the 501st Legion and plot ways to annoy the living daylights out of the Empire and Darth Vader.
1. For Appo, Ringo and Oz

**In which Ahsoka and Rex reform the 501** **st** **Legion and annoy the living daylights out of the Empire and Darth Vader.**

Ahsoka hadn't wanted to lie to Kanan and Ezra about the identity of Darth Vader (the name made her want to laugh, because it sounded so stupid, and cry, because it showed that her master was indeed dead). Phoenix Squadron and the rebellion were used to her keeping secrets close to her chest and, thus, shrugged off any thoughts about the identity with the knowledge that she simply wouldn't share it.

Sabine and Zeb weren't happy, viewing her secret as a lack of trust. Hera, bless her, did the same as Phoenix Squad and kept the conversations with the Togruta focused more on the rebellion's movements. Ezra somewhat shared the same view as Sabine and Zeb but used more under-hand tactics to get her to spill the answer while Kanan gave her a look that suggested he had a vague idea but decided to keep out of her business.

The only person that pushed it was Rex. It was only hours after he'd joined the rebellion that he cornered her adding adjustments to her Starcraft. She had been fixing the landing gear when Rex bent down next to her and poked his head underneath. "What did you do, Commander?"

Ahsoka, tightening a bolt as she spoke, gave him a smile. "I'll have you know this was not my fault. And you can call me Ahsoka, Rex. We're no longer in the Clones Wars."

The clone sat cross-legged and patiently waited for her to finish her repairs. "It's more of a habit than anything else."

"It's something you can break," Ahsoka chided.

"Wolffe is worse than I am."

"Wolffe's a stickler." Ahsoka countered with a smile. She slid herself out from under the Starcraft and gave the clone a smile, picking up a cloth to wipe her hands with. Rex stood with her. "Do you know what happened to General Skywalker?"

Ahsoka allowed herself to glare. "You already know the answer to that."

Rex nodded. "We thought you would, even after you left the Order."

From the way Ahsoka bristled Rex could tell it was still a sensitive subject, but the Togruta brushed it off. "I do know what happened. I just don't know why."

"Turns out the general were married." Rex said bluntly. Ahsoka snorted. "Yeah, that was easy to work out. They were dead obvious."

" _Anyway_ ," Rex continued, ignoring Ahsoka's comment, even though he had worked it out as well, "Padmé turned out to be pregnant. Apparently the general kept seeing visions of her dying and it drove him over the edge eventually."

Ahsoka leant against the craft, crossing her arms. "Well that would explain quite a bit. The idiot."

"The Sith was found, too late obviously." Rex informed her. Ahsoka tilted her head. "Who?"

"Chancellor Palpatine."

The raised eye-marking that he received in return showed Ahsoka's disbelief. "Palpatine? Really?"

Rex nodded and Ahsoka groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Well now I'm angry at him."

"Have you not paid any attention to the Empire at all?"

"I find them annoying and not really worth any time." Ahsoka shot back. "I had assumed that whoever the Sith was simply offered Palpatine the spot as Emperor for power and the suchlike."

Rex nodded again, agreeing with the idea. There were very few who knew of Darth Vader's identity. He only discovered it through continuously sneaking into record rooms and the suchlike. Ahsoka had found in a different way.

"Are you going to tell your friends?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "Not yet. There will be time for them to find out, but it's not now. They already have enough fighting between them and the last thing I want to do is make it worse."

"They won't be happy that you kept it from them." Rex pointed out.

Ahsoka's lips twitched. "No, they won't." She raised her head, placing the oil soaked cloth into the toolbox she was using. "Who have you kept in touch with? Aside from Wolffe and Gregor, was it?"

Rex shared a grin. "Kix is on Ryloth along with Dogma and Coric. The rest I've heard rumours about but nothing concrete."

Ahsoka nodded. "Same here; merely rumours." She paused, her eye markings furrowing in thought. Rex gave her a patient look. The expression was long one that most of the clones had feared, especially when shared with Anakin Skywalker. That look meant a really stupid plan.

"What are you thinking?"

"Just that a reunion would be nice." Ahsoka reassured him before giving him an excuse and leaving. Rex stared after her and snorted. That look was dangerous. One of the first times he saw it, she and Anakin Skywalker had thrown him off a massive wall. Something he still hadn't entirely forgiven them for.

* * *

Rex enjoyed spending time on the _Ghost_. Hera was lovely, often more than content to give Rex something to do. Sabine often challenged him to blaster practise and he was happy to see that the Mandalorian could give him a run for his money. Zeb was close to the same as Sabine, often challenging Rex to fights and the such while Ezra reminded Rex of a younger Ahsoka (quickly teaching the clone to stay out of pick-pocketing range and look before you do pretty much anything). Kanan was a little harder to get in touch with, obviously still holding guilt and anger in regard to Order 66 (not that Rex blamed him). But eventually the Jedi and the clone worked through the problem and Rex was happily feeling like a member of the team.

Ahsoka came aboard, talking idly with Kanan and followed by Ezra (obviously the young Padawan thought he was being sneaky. Rex could see the light grin on Ahsoka's face and the exasperation on Kanan's). Within half an hour, Kanan, Zeb and Ezra left and Ahsoka slid into the booth next to Rex in the kitchen. "The Inquisitors are searching for something."

"They're led by Skywalker, aren't they?"

"From what I've gathered, yes." Ahsoka nodded. She paused before sighing. "Master Kenobi said that he hadn't wanted to take on another apprentice after me."

Rex stared down at the glass of water resting in his hands. "Well he is kind of a different person now."

"True." Ahsoka conceded. "I have a proposal."

"I thought you might," Rex replied.

"What gave me away?"

"The look."

Ahsoka stared at him, confusion on her face. "What look?"

Rex couldn't prevent a bark of a laugh. "Don't sound so indignant, Ahsoka. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Is this about the wall on Geonosis?"

"Yes."

Ahsoka groaned, rubbing her eyes. " _Rex!_ We both apologised for that. And we happened to catch you."

"You could've just said jump!"

"What are you two arguing about?" Hera called as she walked past to grab something from the bench top.

Ahsoka smirked at Rex. "We're just discussing the Clone Wars and Rex was complaining about something that happened nearly twenty years ago."

The Twi'lek lent against the bench top, watching as the Togruta and clone continued to argue about what appeared to be petty memories, shaking her head. "You two are worse than Zeb and Ezra."

She turned to leave. "And I'll keep Sabine away from your secret meeting. Though you might want to find somewhere more discreet."

"We'll be quick." Ahsoka promised, not the least bit surprised the Twi'lek had an idea as to what they were doing. She waited until the pilot had left before turning to Rex. "I want to reform the 501st."

Rex blinked. "To fight for the rebellion?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, to fight Anakin."

"Kanan told me what happened when they went against him." Rex argued. "How would a bunch of clones beat that? And the majority will be like Wolffe, Gregor and I were; wanting to stay out of a fight with the Empire."

Ahsoka closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead. "I know, I know. But the Empire can chuck it for all I care. And I know that Anakin is strong. I can feel it, even now."

"Then why would you want us to fight _him_?" Rex pointed out, watching as the Togruta folded her arms and rested her chin on top of them.

"Because you remember that when he gets angry, he gets sloppy. When he realised I was nearby, I could feel his anger. I don't aim to beat him in a fight, with or without backup. What I intend to do is frustrate him, egg him on and make his moves sloppy. He leads the Inquisitors so if we get his anger up, his abilities will fall."

Rex paused. "You want us to _prank_ the Empire and one of its strongest members?" His voice was riddled with disbelief but he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. "I like it."

* * *

They spent a good galactic month or so searching for surviving members of the 501st, accompanied by Gregor and Wolffe. Most of that time was dedicated to actually pinpointing where they were; sorting through rumours and working out who was alive, where they were and what the possibility of them joining the group they had started.

They approached members of the 501st first due to the relationship already built. Kix and Coric had greeted them with a warm smile and an even warmer dinner, happily explaining that they had decided to perform relief work on any planet that needed it. Ryloth was well known for rebel activity against the Empire and they had Twi'leks and other species coming to get patched up on a daily basis. Ahsoka explained the basic premise but promised one thing to the clones.

"You are free men now. Instead of being honour bound to do as I say, this is a job opportunity instead. You don't have to take the job but we want to keep in contact anyway. For old time's sakes."

The majority of the 501st clones had agreed to join the reformation and rebellion straight away and both Ahsoka and Rex worked out a plan so that the clones could return to the homes they came from to visit the families and friends they had made.

Members of other clone battalions, such as Cody, Fox and Threepwood, were a little harder to convince. The majority were worried about keeping Ahsoka as far away from them as possible, having not removed their internal chips. Ahsoka had simply rested a hand on her lightsaber and said, "Anything you try, I can stop you."

After that, conversations went smoother. Many of the clones they found took them up on the idea of pranking the living daylights out of the Empire and Kix soon had a number of them calling him to get their inhibitor chips removed. The few that didn't want to cause any more trouble gave them the promise of support if they needed it and an agreement to keep the word quiet. All were given the time when their decision had to be made and the coordinates to meet them if they wanted to join the cause.

However, there were a few trouble causes. And Dogma was one of them. They had found the clone in the back of a seedy bar in the Outer Rim, drinking himself to death. As Ahsoka and Rex slid into the booth across from him, Dogma groaned. "I don't want to join any god damn cause."

Ahsoka arched an eye marking. "You'd rather drink until you die?"

"We've been decommissioned." Dogma explained carelessly. "I think I've earned the right."

"And you're not worried about your brothers?" Rex asked.

"I think I'd rather avoid killing another Jedi." Dogma snapped, slamming his drink onto the table. Ahsoka pursed her lips. "By technicality, I am no longer a Jedi. And we can remove your chip if that helps."

"The last time I blindly followed a Jedi, I ended up killing him." Dogma spat. Ahsoka shot a confused glance to Rex, who rubbed his eyes. "You killed that scum for the greater good, Dogma. That wasn't because of the chips."

"Could've been." The clone mumbled into his beer, taking a large gulp. Ahsoka gave him an understanding glance. "Dogma, you can't kill me."

The clone arched an eyebrow back at her. "On yeah? The Order seemed to fall rather quickly before."

"Honestly, if you could get more than five hits on me, I'd promote you to Rex's position." Ahsoka snorted, ignoring the elbow dig to her ribs from the disgruntled captain next to her. Dogma peered at her. "That sounds like a challenge."

"One you can take up when you're not drunk." Rex cut in.

Ahsoka reached forward and clasped one of Dogma's hands in her own. "I know what happened. I felt the pain; not just from the Jedi but the second wave from the clones when they came out of the trance. But rest assured; you cannot hurt me, Dogma. And I'm not implying that there's a fault in your chip. If any one of you felt compromised and told me so, I could stop you from taking moves that you do not want. You have nothing to fear."

Dogma shook her hand off him. "Krell used me. How do I know you're not doing the same thing?"

Ahsoka frowned. "I lost what you lost when the Order fell. The Jedi were my family, yes. But so were the clones." She stood and slid a commlink across the table. "You don't have to join, Dogma. I have told the others exactly the same thing. This is simply a job and you have the right to turn it down."

As they left the bar and walked to the shuttle, Rex glanced sideways at her. "How many do you think will join?"

Ahsoka sighed as they slipped into the cockpit and took their seats. "We found and met with, what? Forty clones?"

"Around about."

"Maybe half will join; a bit more."

Rex gave her a sympathetic look. "It's not the forces you were hoping for."

"No." Ahsoka agreed. "But it's better than just the four of us. We have to wait and see."

* * *

Almost a galactic standard month passed since they had gone recruiting before messages of agreement or denial came flooding in. They met on a moon in the Outer Rim after sending everyone the time and coordinates. Ahsoka studied the sky, both hands resting on her lightsabers while Rex tracked any and all incoming ships. By the end of the day, twenty five decided to join; n early every member of the 501st joined the new formation, with clones such as Cody and Hawk joining as well. Kix and Coric were running around, finding out who had their chip removed, who hadn't and who had attempted it, before settling down to write out a schedule of when to perform each and every surgery.

Rex and the other commanders and captains went into a meeting, pinpointing and locating the perfect land base to occupy that would be far enough from anywhere so that the rebels wouldn't accidentally try to set up stage in the same place while Hawk and any mechanics and engineers, such as Ridge, Threepwood, Nax and Del, went searching for the 'perfect ship'. Ahsoka wasn't planning to see them for the next few rotations; Hawk was extremely picky and Nax had an itchy trigger finger when it came to any form of blaster, including cannons.

She spent the evening on the surface of the moon, meditating and opening herself up to the Force. Due to the extreme distance between herself and Darth Vader (which still successfully made her snort and her eyes tear up), she wasn't too afraid of releasing her emotions; she just had to keep tabs on her own force signature to prevent it from growing too large.

"Commander?"

Ahsoka opened her eyes and looked up at the clone in front of her. Dogma stood, looking rather sheepish, and scratched the back of his head. "Are the auditions still open?"

Ahsoka smiled, climbing to her feet. "Of course, Dogma." She looped an arm through his own and led him towards the ship that was currently their base. "You stopped drinking."

"I didn't need to anymore." Dogma grinned. "I found my purpose."

"You are prepared to annoy any and all Imperials we may come across?"

"That's not why you started this, was it?"

Ahsoka smiled sadly. "Of course I want to get Anakin back. But he's currently lost in a storm of negative emotions. So the rest of the family has to stick together until he finds his way out."

Dogma paused, considering her words, while they entered the ship. Wolffe gave them a gruff look, nodding to the trooper, before there was an explosion of sound and the clones stampeded over to greet their brother. Rex pulled the Togruta from the pile and smiled. "It feels like the old days again."

Ahsoka returned the smile. "Family reunions often have that effect, Rex."

* * *

 **The new members of the 501** **st** **/212** **th** **are** **Rex, Wolffe, Gregor, Fox (not the dude that shot Fives), Dogma, Coric, Ridge, Attie, Del, Jesse, Boro, Joc, Ross, Kano, Rookie, Boomer, Kix, Boil, Nax, Zeer, Bow, Cody, Barlex, Threepwood, Bly and Hawk.**

 **Okay, the basis behind this was merely a thought on family. Ahsoka pretty much went through the 'family attachment' stage surrounded more by clones and Anakin that Jedi so I figured that she would consider them family. The other part was 'what if Ahsoka went somewhere with her realisation about Anakin?' And thus, this was born. It's going to be multi-chaptered that will border on family and humor.**


	2. For Echo

**In which a Togruta and twenty six clones hold an important meeting to name a Loth Cat.**

* * *

Rex honestly was not surprised when Ahsoka returned from wherever she went with a small animal in tow. Neither was the rest of reformed 501st/212th (though Cody still looked rather confused and Wolffe had no idea what was going on). The majority of the clones had served with Ahsoka during the Clone Wars and the Togruta had managed to smuggle no less than twenty animals onto whatever Jedi Cruiser they were using and back to Coruscant in the first year alone. The funniest thing about the entire situation was General Skywalker and General Kenobi never found out and, as the war progressed, the clones joined in keeping whatever animal the kid had smuggled aboard hidden.

As soon as Ahsoka docked her Starcraft to the large cruiser that was now their home, Rex heard Kix let out a loud groan and call over the Comms; "She's bought another damned Loth Cat."

Rex rolled his eyes at the series of conflicting groans and cheers that erupted from Kix's announcement and headed out to meet the Commander as she climbed down from her craft. A tabby cat was secured under her arms, probably no older than six months, and was playfully swatting at Ahsoka's Lekku. Ahsoka smirked, flicking the Lekku over her shoulder before repositioning the cat, and turned to meet an exasperated Rex. "Hello Rex. How has everything been going since I left?"

"Why do you have a cat?" A voice roared across the hangar and Ahsoka and Rex watched in vague amusement as a confused Wolffe stalked towards them. Wolffe and Gregor had been one of the few who hadn't experienced Ahsoka's quirk but the upside to Gregor's mental loss was he simply accepted the quirks of others with ease. Rex noticed that the mentioned clone's, wandering behind the irate Wolffe, face light up upon spotting the cat and he let out a coo. "It's so adorable!"

"Thank you, Gregor," Ahsoka smiled, now having to move her other Lekku as the cat's attention turned to that. Wolffe exaggeratedly gestured to the cat in silence, obviously running out of things to say, before turning to Rex, looking for backup. Rex raised his hands defensively. "This happens all the time, Wolffe. You just have to get used to it."

Wolffe groaned, watching as Gregor rubbed the cat's head, causing it to purr. "We're going to have a cat on board?"

Rex patted his shoulder in sympathy. "We're going to have a cat on board."

* * *

Three hours later they were all in the canteen, watching as the tabby chased a scrunched up ball of paper around the room. It had taken a liking to Gregor and would meow whenever the clone spoke. Ahsoka had curled herself up in one of the chairs, having the majority removed her armour, and was watching the different reactions of the clones with strong amusement. Rex heaved himself into the chair next to her and stared at the cat. "I suppose you want to keep it?"

"Of course." Several people chimed in agreement with Ahsoka. There was a pause as they stared at the cat and finally Jesse spoke up. "What are we going to call it?"

"Gregor the Third." Gregor answered immediately, petting the cat.

"It can't be Gregor the Third," Coric protested. "You need a Gregor the Second first."

"Gregor the Second then." Gregor shrugged.

"We are not naming a cat Gregor the Second or any other number," Attie argued. "If the Commander brought it aboard, we all have to agree with the name."

"Hawk the second," Hawk approached cautiously. The pilot had crossed his arms over his chest and quirked an eyebrow, daring one of his brothers to argue.

"I thought we just agreed not to all it that." Fox piped up from the back of the canteen.

"We agreed not to name that cat after Gregor." Hawk snapped back.

"I don't think naming it after you, Hawk, would be much better." Dogma snapped. Rex rolled his eyes. "Okay, everyone calm down."

He easily gained their attention now, and watched as every clone turned to face him. "Okay, we'll set some ground rules now; we're not naming the cat after anyone in here, got it?"

"Is that the only rule?" Someone piped up from the back. Rex didn't see who it was but he had a suspicion that it was either Coric or Zeer.

"Until you lot get into another fight, yes." Rex crossed his arms as the cat meowed at him half-way through the sentence. Gregor reached out to pet it, only for it to swipe at his hand playfully. Gregor pulled his hand back and glared the cat. "Now don't do that; it's rude."

The cat meowed right back at him and curled itself up on the table. Coric snickered. "I don't think it likes you as much anymore, Gregor."

The cat let out another meow, narrowing its eyes at Coric. Boomer snorted. "I don't think it likes _you_ , Coric."

Wolffe studied the cat with disdain. "Are you going to name it or what?"

"I never thought naming a cat would be so hard," Ahsoka hissed to Rex, who snorted in return.

Nax threw his hands up. "Why can we just calling the kriffing thing 'cat'?"

"That's not really creative, Nax." Boil threw back. "We're clones. Thing should be a synch for us. After all, we named ourselves."

"That gives me an idea." Ahsoka leant forward, scratching the top of the cat's head. "I've got the perfect name for it."

She was well aware that she had caught everyone's attention, and the cat's, as it meowed at her.

"Well, what is it?" Dogma asked, trying to disguise the curiosity in his voice.

"Echo."

Silence rung throughout the canteen; none of the clones had expected to hear the name of their fallen comrade. The silence was broken by the cat turning to face Ahsoka and let out another meow, before doing the same to Dogma, before it stretched and curled up by Gregor's side.

Ahsoka stood calmly and gave them a cheerful smile. "I'll see you guys at dinner."

The Togruta left the room calmly, leaving the clones in a stunned silence and the cat purring loudly. Rex was the first person to shake himself out of the stupor and looked at the cat, who immediately meowed at the captain. He grinned, tickling the cat's chin. "I like it. Hello again, Echo."

* * *

 **Okay, this one only came out so quickly because I had the idea for ages but I do apologise for how short it is.**

 **The reason they're calling the cat Echo is because whenever someone speaks, the cat will meow back at them almost immediately.** **This one belongs more in the family sector but the next one will be a lot different in tone.** **I didn't put it up before, but I don't own anything Star Wars related and I don't wish I did. I enjoy finding new things out instead.**


	3. For Hardcase, Hevy, Mixer and Redeye

**(Has anyone worked out what the chapter titles are named after? It's obvious but I just want to know.)**

 **In which the reformed 501st/212th hijack a Star Destroyer because, well, because they could.**

* * *

Hawk grinned as they emerged from hyperspace with the Star Destroyer in sight. He flicked the over-head communications on. "We've found the target. Prepare for the fight."

He shared a grin with his co-pilots, Bow and Commander Bly, both of which shared his amusement. A crackled reply from Cody came back. "Copy that. Try not to get us shot down."

"Oh ye of little faith." Bow reprimanded quietly as Hawk scrabbled and began to mask the ship's signature.

Ahsoka came over the comms as well. "Can everyone get to battle stations? Ridge, I want you to continually scan for TIE fighters. Those are the last thing we need right now."

"Copy that, Commander." Ridge replied cheerfully. "Zeer says that if the scanners get anything, expect emergency alarms to be blaring."

Hawk groaned. "I hate the emergency alarms." He glanced back out at the Star Destroyer and let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like they haven't spotted us yet."

Bow frowned. "Don't say yet; you'll jinx us."

"We have enteral bad luck anyway so it didn't seem like a problem."

Ahsoka strode to the bridge, watching as Ridge, Zeer and Rookie flew from scanner to scanner, narrowing down any options the Empire would have of either spotting them or getting a surprise attack. "What's the word?"

"Thankfully nothing yet, Commander." Rookie called in greeting. "Hawk said that the signature was hidden before their scanners had the chance to pick it up in the first place and no fighters have been deployed."

"Well that's great news." Ahsoka smiled. She lifted her comm link to her mouth. "Rex, are you all set down there?"

" _We're good, Commander. All prepared to board."_ Rex replied. " _Though we're all a bit iffy about Kano flying us there."_

Ahsoka rolled her eyes at the teasing tone and quiet grumbles from Kano. "And the fighters?"

" _Threepwood and Boil are all prepared. Boomer and Jesse are taking gunner._ "

"Sounds like everything is going as planned, Commander." Ridge interrupted. "Proceed to stage two?"

"Yes. Kano, Threepwood and Boil, you have permission to take off. We will join you in the hangar bay."

" _Roger, Commander._ " Kano replied and Ahsoka watched as the three ships exited the hangar.

"We're sure they'll get past the scanners?" Rookie sounded concerned. Ahsoka rested a hand on his shoulders. "Don't worry, Rookie. The Star Destroyer's down to a skeleton crew; the rest are battling Phoenix Squad. And while I dislike using members of the rebellion as decoys, Commander Sato agrees that gaining the destroyer will give us leverage that we need."

Rookie nodded, glancing back at his scanners. "Everything is still clear."

"Good," Ahsoka took a deep breath and made for the cockpit. "If even a single signal shows up on the scanners for a second, let us know. Anakin is still a dangerous flyer and I don't doubt he'd be the one they'd contact for back-up."

All three clones nodded, sharing grim expressions while Ahsoka entered the cock-pit. "How are we going in here?"

"Nothing's turned up yet," Bly answered, instinctively straightening in his chair. "There haven't been any calls from the Imperials either. For all intents and purposes, we're not here."

Ahsoka let out a sigh of relief. "This plan is going well then. Hawk, Bow, now that you've seen the ship up close, what are your thoughts?"

Hawk tilted his head, his eyes focused on the Star Destroyer. "They may be at a skeleton crew but there is definitely a larger storm trooper presence than normal." He gestured towards the docked shuttles. "Thankfully, there don't appear to be any extra fighters. We should be able to get in with ease to back up the landing crew in about five minutes, maybe a bit more."

Ahsoka slid into the engineer chair next to Bly, fastening the harness. "The storm trooper presence isn't enough of a worry to delay the mission." She mused. "We can deal with them any time of the day. Ridge, can you contact the landing team and let them know to do a count of fighter ships?"

" _Yes, Commander._ "

Ahsoka looked out the cockpit window towards the Star Destroyer. "We'll be able to pull this off."

"Yeah," Bow laughed. "This is not the most dangerous mission the 501st has gone on."

"It is for me," Bly muttered uncomfortably. "Not all Jedi were as crazy as the Commander and General Skywalker."

Ahsoka gave him a sympathetic smile. "Oh, I'm sure they weren't. It was mainly luck that got us out anyway."

"That's not very comforting, Commander." Bly retorted, starting to look a bit green.

"Don't tease Commander Bly." Hawk chided the Togruta, only to receive a playful glare in return.

" _You're safe to come in."_

Hawk grinned widely. "Finally. I've been itching for a fight for weeks now."

* * *

The hangar was in the middle of a blaster battle when they landed. Ahsoka was standing by the ramp before they had even touched down and, the moment it opened, she charged forward, lightsabers active to deflect any of the bolts that came too close.

Rex waved her over and she ducked down next to him. "Well?"

"You're currently looking at every single storm trooper on the ship, Commander." Rex answered cheerfully, sliding into standing position, firing and then ducking behind cover before the troopers even realised what hit them. "Kano's leading the second team to flush out the officials. They'll be on the other side in less than two minutes to corner this lot."

Ahsoka nodded. "Good." She peered over the top of her cover. "Hawk reported a large storm trooper presence from the shuttle. I guess he was right."

"Yeah, we're not too sure why there are so many here," Kix chimed in, ducking down next to them. "It's certainly more than what's normally part of a skeleton crew."

Ahsoka frowned. "It's not too much trouble?"

"These guys couldn't kill us on a good day." One of the other clones snorted, his voice ringing around the hangar bay. Ahsoka smirked as a wave of anger floated off the storm troopers. "Keep up the assault. I'm going to scan the ship; something's wrong."

Rex and Kix both nodded before rolling out of cover and firing. Ahsoka folded her legs underneath her, tilting her head so her Montrals weren't shot at, and closed her eyes. There was a reason there were so many troopers here; she was angry that she hadn't searched the ship before sending anyone in.

A force signature flared into life on the ship, reaching forward to greet her own with happiness and relief radiating off of it. Ahsoka frowned. It was so familiar; this had to be someone she knew. She sent back waves of comfort before narrowing her senses. This person was located on the detention level but there was an anomaly in the same area. It felt like she was staring at an answer but couldn't connect the dots between it all. Then the emotions from the familiar person rushed to her and she stood in a smooth motion, both hands resting on her lightsabers. _"Ezra."_

Ahsoka spun, deflecting a bolt back towards the storm trooper who had fired it and strode to Rex. The clone looked up at her, watching as she almost effortlessly deflected the shots fired at her, and shook his head. "Reckless as ever, Commander."

"Ezra's here." She cut to the chase and got the response she had been expecting. Rex blinked up at her in confusion and Wolffe, who had been nearby, shared the expression.

"Ezra is _here_?" Rex repeated, stunned. "Wha- wait… how?"

"I don't know. I'm going to the detention level. Stick to the plan and keep me informed if anything out of order happens."

Rex nodded slowly. "Are you sure you want to go alone?"

Ahsoka flicked back another blot, only just realising that she was standing out in the open, but couldn't bring herself to worry about it. "Yes. There's something or someone else there. I don't want to endanger any of you anymore than we already are."

"Okay, Commander." Rex answered. "But you have to keep us informed as well."

Ahsoka arched an eye marking teasingly. "Of course."

She turned and stalked towards the door that the clones had secured. Coric and Nax looked up at her in confusion but pressed the button open and allowed her to slip through. As Ahsoka entered the rest of the ship, she closed her eyes to locate Ezra's signature again. The boy found her first and she felt another wave of relief rush to her. But there was something different about this one; it was tinged with warning.

The door slid open behind her and Rex ducked in. Before Ahsoka could protest, he held his hands up. "Orders from Kix. I'm not getting on his bad side, Commander."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and started down the hallway. "Come on then."

* * *

The walk to the detention level was slow merely because Ahsoka was determined to keep her senses to the Force open and Ezra was very happy to have a friendly face on the ship. The young Padawan knew how to project his emotions very well but Ahsoka was worried that whatever else was down there could be sensing them as well. The last thing she wanted to do was be the cause of the kid's injuries or even death. The Ghost crew would never forgive her and she doubted she could forgive herself for another death on her hands. Rex checked every corner first, his twin blasters resting firmly in his hands while Ahsoka covered their point. From what she had heard about Ezra's escaping abilities, she was surprised he hadn't popped up on their route there.

"Commander." Rex hissed as he checked the corner that led to the cells. "Clear."

Ahsoka nodded, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Keep an eye out."

She slipped past him and walked slowly down the corridor, her eyes closed and senses reaching out into the Force. The anomaly was still hovering in the outskirts of her senses but Ezra's lively aura greeted her from the middle of the hallway. Ahsoka strode over, punching the open button, and was nearly barrelled over by the fifteen year. " _Ahsoka!_ "

She caught his shoulders. "Woah, Ezra. Deep breaths." She commanded immediately, slipping a relax suggestion in her words. "What happened? Why are you here?"

"The Fifth Brother." Ezra's eyes darkened in annoyance and Ahsoka noticed that he was standing strangely, keeping all his weight on his left leg. "He jumped us in Lothal and I ended up here. Is Kanan okay?"

"I don't know but I promise you we will find out." Ahsoka reassured him. "Now, what's wrong with your leg?"

Ezra flushed, his embarrassment showing in his force signature. "It's nothing."

Ahsoka gave him a steady glare and the kid sighed. "It's just a sprain. It'll be fine in a few days."

"Okay then." Ahsoka gave in, mentally reminding herself to get Kix to have a look at Ezra's leg once the mission was over. "And the Fifth Brother. Where is he?"

"I don't know." Ezra admitted. "He was guarding here until the ship came under attack." Curious blue eyes studied her. "Why are _you_ here?"

"We're attacking the ship." Ahsoka dead-panned. "Can you walk?"

Ezra nodded. "Slowly but yes."

The Togruta took his elbow and guided him back to Rex, keeping her eyes on Ezra's leg and her senses searching for the Fifth Brother's signature. The Inquisitor was here somewhere. Thankfully, the clones could handle themselves; easily able to hold off the Inquisitor if they were grouped together. Rex gave her a nod, before greeting Ezra cheerfully. "In trouble again, kid?"

"Naturally." Ezra shot back, smirking. Ahsoka rolled her eyes with a smile. "Rex, we need to head back to the bridge. There's an Inquisitor on board."

The cheeriness on Rex's face fell away to the stern mask that Ahsoka associated with protectiveness of his brothers. He pressed a button on his com link. "Kix, Kano. Come in."

There was a groan from Kano, followed by an annoyed, _"What?"_

"Inquisitor on board. Be prepared." Rex tightened his grip on his blasters and met Ahsoka's eyes. "Can you find him?"

"He's blocking his signature." Ahsoka replied, frustrated. "But his power is with strength and the force. His lightsaber skills are those of a novice."

"So we should be able to take him on?" Rex clarified.

"Yes but I do not recommend it."

The response had the clone arching an eyebrow but Rex kept quiet and led the way back to the hangar bay, with Ahsoka helping the injured Ezra along.

Kano's team had finished their sweep throughout the entire Star Destroyer and had successfully pushed the remaining Imperials to the hangar where the clones were attempting to stun them and 'stuff them into escape pods', as Boil had politely put it. The majority of the small amount of TIE fighters had been damaged in the cross fire and Ahsoka could see Hawk already buried into one, trying to salvage what he could. Kix met them at the door they had left through and studied Ezra. "I'm to assume that you two didn't cause the damage?"

Ezra looked stunned at the callous remark while Ahsoka crossed her arms and Rex rolled his eyes. Ahsoka was the one to respond. "I'll have you know that we broke nothing on our trip to and from the detention level thank you very much."

Rex nodded in agreement. "That was one time, Kix."

The medic snorted. "That was more than one time, _Rex_. You and General Skywalker," his eyes flickered to Ahsoka to judge her reaction to the use of her master's name (thankfully, other than a flinch, there was no real response given), "practically had your own beds in my medical bay."

"And it's been fifteen years since," Rex countered; snorting at the first name basis the medic had them on. He shrugged before striding over to cover. "Now, am I allowed to do my job?"

Without waiting for a response, the clone captain rolled out of cover and set of several successful shots before ducking down next to Wolffe. Kix turned back to face the confused Ezra and held out his hand. "I'm Kix, head medic of the 501st."

Ezra shook the offered hand. "Uh, Ezra Bridger and I don't have a title."

Kix's lips quirked at the statement and he glanced at Ahsoka. "You sound like the Commander when she was your age."

"And now that I'm in my thirties," Ahsoka interrupted, "I have both a title and someone to hunt. Will you all be okay down here?"

"Don't worry about us, Commander!" Gregor called, waving his hands dismissively. "If this is what all Imperials are like, we'll be able to bring down the Empire in a Standard Month."

Ahsoka rested her hands on her hips. "I'll take that as a yes. Kix, would you escort Ezra to the ship and check his leg? It looks like a bad sprain but I'll let you judge it."

Ezra moved to protest but Ahsoka had already whirled around and was striding back the way that they had come, her force signature bright in his senses. "Uh what?"

"Don't worry, kid," Kix dismissed. "She's always been like that. Come on; that leg looks troubling."

"You're just going to let her charge off by herself?" Ezra protested in confusion, gestured over his shoulder, slowly following the clone, who didn't seem to care that he was walking in the middle of a battle (and was seemingly 'Jedi-ing' his way out of getting hit). One of the clones heard his statement and let out a laugh. "Tell that commander what to do? That's a good one, kid."

"She'll let us know if she needs help." Kix reassured, pushing Ezra up the ramp into the shuttle they had boarded in. "Med bay's on your left."

Ezra found himself seated on a cold table as the clone swept around the room gathering materials, and decided he was more confused around the clones than he was around the Imperials. There didn't look like there were that many of them, but they were taking on a Star Destroyer? That couldn't be normal.

"Why are you attacking the Star Destroyer?"

"We thought we'd need it," was the only response he was given. "General Sato agreed, but that was probably more to keep the Captain and Commander from nagging him about it."

"Nagging?" Ezra questioned as Kix began to strap his ankle. The clone nodded. "Now it's just a sprain but you have to keep weight off of it for about a week."

" _Kix?_ "

The medic groaned, grabbing his comm-link. "What have you done, Boomer?"

" _Excuse you, I haven't done anything._ " The response was snappy but lightly teasing. _"Commander Cody reports that we've secured the ship; the last of the crew is being loaded into the escape pods now."_

"How many wounded?" Kix sounded reserved.

" _About three. Coric had a look and only Ridge is somewhat serious. He's heading up now."_

Kix rolled his eyes before turning to Ezra. "I'll get Rex up to show you around."

"What about Ahsoka?"

"The Commander?" Kix arched an eyebrow. "She'll be fine."

* * *

Ahsoka glanced around the detention level, resting her hands on her lightsabers. "Are you going to stop hiding yet?"

She saw the grey Inquisitor step out in front of her and tilted her head. "I know you're definitely not the talker but are you sure fighting is the best idea? I did ram your face into a concrete pillar a few months ago."

"You're cockier than I was told."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Now, do you want to fight or shall I escort you to an escape pod?"

The Fifth Brother drew his lightsaber and lunged at her. Ahsoka rolled herself sideways before throwing her hand out and knocking the Fifth Brother into wall. Keeping her hand splayed out, she walked over to face the humanoid. She knelt down next to him. "Shall I organise you an escape pod?"

"Go to hell."

Ahsoka blinked before snorting lightly. "Rude. Come along then."

She hauled the man to his feet and pointed the end of her lightsaber towards his back. The Inquisitor shot her a glare over his shoulder before reaching for his lightsaber and swinging the red blade down towards her. Ahsoka raised her shoto, stopping the blade, before delivering a sharp kick to the Fifth Brother's chest. The larger man stumbled backwards, quickly righting himself, but Ahsoka was already moving inside his guard, her lightsabers stopping the spinning blade before he could even swing them. Ahsoka spun herself around, her arms crossed over her chest to keep her advantage by holding his blades back, before opening herself to the Force and taking a deep breath. She shifted her grip on her sabers and pushed against his blades hard, breaking the lock. Spinning again so she was now facing him, Ahsoka clipped her lightsabers back at her waist before splaying her hand towards him.

For a moment in time, she could see the Force move with her. Her Force signature brightened, the power travelling down her arm and she made a shoving movement, sending the Inquisitor flying down the hall. He hit a wall, his hand releasing the lightsaber, which clattered onto the ground next to him. Ahsoka reached for her lightsaber and ignited it, leaving her other hand resting lightly against her shoto, and she walked towards the feebly stirring Inquisitor. Standing over the man, she rested the tip of the blade by his throat and grabbed her commlink. _"_ Rex, could you please come in?"

" _Sorry, Commander,_ " Del's voice replied. " _Captain Rex and Commander Cody are overseeing the migration to the escape pods. They've left the signal in that area jammed to make sure no one calls for help."_

Ahsoka smiled. "That's a sensible idea. Can you send a message ahead and let them know I've found our stowaway Inquisitor?"

" _Of course, Commander."_ There was a pause from the clone before; _"Where did you find him?"_

"Believe it or not, he was in a storage closet." Ahsoka said, keeping a straight face. The clone snorted. " _Keeping in location secret: got it. Forwarding your message onto Captain Rex. Is there anything else I can help with Commander?"_

"Just an update on Ezra. Anything?"

" _Kix has the kid in lockdown because he tried to escape."_

Ahsoka nodded to herself. _He's fine then. Good; Hera would kill me otherwise._

She bent over the Inquisitor, opening her mind to the Force. He was conscious but didn't have enough energy to move. She grabbed his arm and pulled him up, pushing him in the direction of the escape pods. "Come along then."

"You think because you used to be a _Jedi_ ," the Fifth Brother spat as he grabbed the wall for stability, "that you can beat the Empire."

Ahsoka gave him a nudge with the Force and, grumpily and reluctantly, the Fifth Brother began to walk. The Togruta tilted her head. "Being a Jedi has nothing to do with it. And I'm not a Jedi. _Surely_ your master would have told you that."

The Fifth Brother sneered. "He told us that you were a kill on sight target."

Ahsoka rested a hand on her chest. "I'm touched." Another nudge had the Fifth Brother enter the elevator. Ahsoka brought her lightsaber tip to his chest and pressed the button on the wall. "But if _Darth Vader_ ," she snorted, "really wants me dead; he needs to send someone much better than you Inquisitors."

The Fifth Brother glared at her statement but kept silent. Ahsoka smiled lightly but inside she fumed. "So I'm a kill on sight target then? That means there's a list. Where am I?"

Silence was the response but Ahsoka shrugged, having expected it. "I'm betting any Jedi Masters who survived Order 66," she couldn't repress the snarl here, "is at the very top of his list. Wayward Padawan and younglings are of little concern due to their lack of training and power, am I right? So I'm a special case; either due to my fighting skills and abilities or due to what I represent simply being alive."

The elevator dinged and she was met with the sight of Cody and Rex standing armed and ready to take the Fifth Brother. Ahsoka pushed the Inquisitor out of the elevator but put a hand against the door. "You know who he is, don't you? All you inquisitors do."

The Fifth Brother stared at her, Rex and Cody both holding his arms tightly. "Why do you think we fear him so much?"

Ahsoka crossed her arms. "Because Anakin Skywalker does not forgive easily and he never did. As Darth Vader, he can run rampant throughout the galaxy, removing all those who wronged him. But I… no we," she gestured to the clones, "we're reminders of who he used to be. And we're dangerous because of that."

She rested herself against the side of the elevator. "And I want you to tell him so. We know who he is, we're not afraid and we're not going away. Gentlemen, I leave him in your care."

Both clones saluted her, faint smirks resting on their faces before Rex tugged the Inquisitor off while Cody kept his blaster trained on his back. Ahsoka hit the button for the bridge and rested against the back of the elevator. It wasn't just a speech to scare the Inquisitor that goes bump in the night. They were reminders of who Anakin used to be and their very existence was dangerous to themselves and to him. Not for the first time, Ahsoka worried for all the clones that were following her. What if she got them killed, chasing the ghost of someone they used to know?

* * *

Kix was waiting for her on the bridge. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, he pointed her to a chair, obviously prepared to do a post-battle check-up. Ahsoka slumped into the chair. "How's Ezra?"

"He's tried to escape the med bay three times now. The first two he claimed to want to see if you were okay, the third was to explore the ship." Kix fixed her with a stare. "It sounds very familiar."

"Hardy-hah." Ahsoka deadpanned, turning her attention to Rookie. "Rookie, is there anything showing up on the scanners?"

"Thankfully no," Rookie replied. "We struck fast enough that no one got a distress signal out and Nax and Zeer both did a check of the Imperials; nothing there that could ruin this whole thing."

"Hawk, Bow and Bly head back to the main cruiser?"

"Yes," Rookie glanced over at one of the monitors. "I've got them inbound here. They called a few minutes ago; they're docking on the other side of the ship. The shuttles we used to get here was damaged in the fight; few hits towards the engines so we're not getting off that way again."

Ahsoka nodded. "So, aside from our two stowaways, everything went according to plan?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful." Kix stepped back from the Togruta and looked her up and down. "Only thing wrong with you, other than being a little suicidal in the missions you take, is exhaustion. Get some rest, Commander."

Ahsoka smiled, rolling her shoulders. "You did not have to tell me that." She turned to Rookie. "Everyone knows the plan now, but I would like to be alerted in about three hours to make sure everything is running smoothly."

Rookie saluted, something that now was more of a joke amongst friends than something that was necessary and turned to the scanners. Kix crossed his arms, walking in the same direction, but called over his shoulder; "Check on the kid, Commander. He's worried about you."

"Already on it, Kix. Med bay?"

"Hopefully."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, turning to walk down one of the hallways that branched off the bridge. She opened herself to the Force, sweeping for Ezra's signature, and was happily greeted by the young teenager who was curled up in the med bay. Thankfully, the Imperials had kept a similar design between the Republic Cruisers and the Star Destroyers. The medical bay was located close to the bridge and several elevators that would lead straight to the escape pods, but far from the hangar bay to keep patients safe.

Ezra was basically jumping up and down when she entered the bay and greeted her with a wide grin. "You're okay!"

Ahsoka tossed him a teasing look. "It's not like I haven't fought the guy before."

Ezra tiled his head in acknowledgement. "I know. Just, I didn't want that to be a one-off."

Ahsoka reached forward and ruffled the Lothal kid's hair. "Don't worry about me, Ezra. I can handle myself. Now, how's your leg?"

The boy looked down at his strapped leg. "It's okay now but I can't walk very far on it."

"Kix normally thinks that's a good thing." Ahsoka replied. "What happened, Ezra? How did you end up here?"

Ezra took in a deep breath, his cheeks suddenly flushed with embarrassment. "I… I did something stupid."

Ahsoka gave him a comforting smile. "The tales these men could tell about the stupid things my master and I have done would make your sides hurt with laughter. But at the time, we got in a _lot_ of trouble for it. I found it easier to just talk to someone. Rex was the one who got all my secrets."

"And he didn't tell anyone?" Ezra looked confused.

Ahsoka shook her head. "Other people knew, sure. But Rex would listen and let me say what happened from my point of view. He would then tell me what he thought I could do."

Ezra looked back at his leg. "It is stupid."

"Who cares?" Ahsoka countered, sliding herself into one of the metal chairs. "It's bothering you, isn't it?"

She let the boy mull over his choices for a few moments before leaning forward to touch his hand. "Ezra, trust me, no matter what you think you've done, they're going to want you back."

Ezra narrowed his eyes at her. "How did you-?"

"You're normally good at hiding secrets," Ahsoka confided, "but not right now."

His eyes dropped to the floor. "I did something stupid. Kanan and I… we had a fight and I said some things I shouldn't have."

Ahsoka didn't want to ask what kind of things; Ezra's guilty feelings were now palpable and if she stopped him now, he might not continue.

"And after our fight, I ran to the city. I didn't want to push it any further and I was definitely in the wrong so I ran. But _he_ was there."

"Alone?" Ahsoka pressed lightly and Ezra shook his head. "I can out-run the Fifth Brother, or whatever his name is, any day. The Mirialan inquisitor was there as well and she's faster than me. She caught me."

"And then you ended up here and we know how the rest of the story goes." Ahsoka finished quickly. She gave the kid a comforting smile. "I can bet you any money the Ghost crew are probably scared out of their minds right now."

Ezra's lips twitched. "They probably are. Worry-warts."

Ahsoka reached for her holoprojector and pressed it into his hands. "Shall we fix that?"

There was a pause, and then, "Kanan's going to freak out. You know, when he finds out I'm on a ship with clones."

Ahsoka smiled. "Yes he probably will. You might be stuck with Gregor or Rex as a 'guardian' until you see them next."

"I like Gregor." Ezra confided. Ahsoka laughed. "How about this, you call your friends and I'll stay here as well, and then we'll hook you up to a wheelchair and give you the grand tour of a Star Destroyer without having to worry about being shot at. How does that sound?"

Ezra smiled again. "That sounds great." He began to input the codes to call Chopper.

"We can even let you hold Echo if you want." Ahsoka added, resting back against her chair.

A familiar warbling sound came through the projector, the miniature Chopper appearing in all of his blue-coloured glory, but Ezra fixed Ahsoka with a confused stare. "Who's Echo?"

" _Ezra!_ "

* * *

 **Okay, this one is a two-part story. Basic info out of the way first; it's my headcanon that the Inquisitors know who Darth Vader is/was and they're away of his 'kill list' (Obi-Wan, followed by Yoda, followed by Ahsoka). All the clones are aware of Anakin's identity as well and key members of the rebellion but it's not a secret being flung left, right and center.**

 **Another thing; I cannot write fight scenes to save my life. Which is weird. I can describe a pond in amazing detail that you'd be able to see it but I can't tell you anything about a fight. Sorry. The 'Ezra' at the end was the Ghost crew but that will be covered in the next chapter.**

 **Also, if anyone has any prompts or ideas that they would like to see, send them in because this kinda goes all over the place. It follows canon but plays with it.**


	4. For Tup and Fives

In which the clones adopt Ezra as the new 'little one', the Star Destroyer is changed to a republic cruiser but they end up blowing it up. Naturally.

* * *

There had been a great reunion over the holoprojector as the Ghost crew was ecstatic to see their youngest member but worried out of their minds. There were the basic questions of 'what happened' and 'are you hurt', quickly followed by the lecture of 'what were you thinking' and 'do you know how worried we were'. Ezra took the lecture rather well, Ahsoka noted, as he explained how he had gotten trapped by the Inquisitors and ended up on the Star Destroyer. Ahsoka jumped in to explain the rest of the story in regards to attacking the ship and mentioned that Ezra had been injured but he was all fine and there wasn't anything serious to worry about. Then Kanan brought up the golden question; "Where are you now?"

Ezra blanched, glancing at Ahsoka. The Togruta gave him a comforting smile. "We are currently on the Star Destroyer."

There was silence from the other end as Ahsoka received for confused stares. Chopper broke the silence with a warbling laugh as Kanan exploded. "What!"

' _And there it is._ ' Ezra winced, glancing at Ahsoka again, who folded one leg underneath her, repositioned the holoprojector to sit on a nearby table and explained that while they had attacked the Star Destroyer, they'd also _captured_ it. Hera looked mildly impressed. "You took control of a Star Destroyer without destroying it. My question is why?"

Ahsoka smiled. "In all honesty, you'll have to wait for that to be answered. Now, Kanan, I know you're worried about Ezra being around the clones."

The Jedi had the decency to blush. "Sorry Ahsoka. I know you trust them."

Ahsoka held up a hand. "You have a reason to be unsure and I have a proposal to give you until we arrive back with Phoenix home."

Kanan shared a look like Hera; neither obviously happy to have to wait that long to see the youngest member of their crew, before glancing back to Zeb and Sabine. "We're listening."

"Ezra will be 'placed', and I mean this in light terms," She added to the teenager seated next to her, "in the company of Rex. Rex understands where your problems arise and he is in the position to keep Ezra safe. _However,_ Ezra will still have to interact with the other clones; I'm afraid there isn't really another way on a ship this large and with his leg injured."

Kanan immediately paused to think over the proposal, while Hera was already nodded in agreement. The Twi'lek placed a hand on Kanan's shoulder. "You trust Rex, right?"

"Yes…"

"And you trust Ahsoka," Sabine added.

"It's not like the kid will be able to give him the slip," Zeb muttered. "That clone's observant."

Ezra looked mildly put off. "I don't get a say in this?"

Ahsoka nudged him to keep him quiet before sending him a smile. "Just wait."

Kanan finally folded his arms. "I want nightly updates."

"Of course,"

"And Rex has to brief the other clones."

"I'm sure he, Wolffe and Gregor are or have already done so." Ahsoka shrugged. "The majority of the clones here were more worried about injuring me than annoying the Empire. I'm positive Ezra couldn't be anywhere safer."

Hera rested a hand on Kanan's shoulder. "Take the proposal, love. Commander Sato mentioned something like this to me and with the resources we currently have, we'd be dead in space if we tried to make it to their quadrant."

"I'm not happy about this." Kanan stated, ignoring Zeb's snort and Sabine's, "Of course you're not."

Ahsoka gave a soft laugh. "Don't worry, Kanan. It'll be only three or four standard rotations before we are able to return. The 501st are already disabling any tracking signals or technologies on the ship so that the Empire can't track us and we'll just travel through a few systems to make sure no trace can be followed. Other than that, there shouldn't be any problems and that includes fighting."

Hera smiled. "Thank you, Ahsoka. We'll see you back at Phoenix home." The Twi'lek flicked off the holoprojector, interrupting a tangent from Kanan. Ezra frowned. "Rex is going to be stuck babysitting me?"

"Of course not." Ahsoka snorted, standing up. "Rex will be with you when Kanan calls each night. But you will have to have at least one of the clones nearby. You are injured, after all. Now, tour?"

* * *

Ahsoka turned out to be a rather fun person to be around when she didn't have to act mature. She pushed the wheelchair Ezra was placed in, at a light jog, often veering towards walls when turning corners, while the young Padawan gripped Echo the Loth cat tightly and laughed at the strange tour. Most of the clones they passed simply moved out of the way and then carried on with whatever they were doing, not even giving the two a second look. When questioned, Ahsoka simply said that they were used to it.

Ezra had been on a Star Destroyer before, well more than once, but he'd never been able to actually explore it. Of course, one could only see so much crawling through air vents or sprinting to find a lost friend, so naturally he was excited to see as much as possible. Rex was on the bridge with three other clones when Ahsoka finally brought him in and Commander Sato turned to glare at them through the holoprojector. "You hijacked a Star Destroyer."

The 501st had the decency to look rather sheepish but Rex gave Ezra a wink and the clone standing at the scanner (whom Ezra found out later to be named Rookie) was suppressing silent laughter. Sadly he wasn't doing a very good job at it.

Ahsoka simply crossed her arms. "Yes, we did. You gave us permission to stir up anger within the Empire and help other rebellions rise against them. We're currently doing it."

"How is stealing a Star Destroyer going to help the cause?"

"It's quite simple, actually," Ahsoka answered. "Star Destroyers represent fear; everyone's aware of this. As does the Empire. We're going to break that representation down."

There was a long moment of silence, before Commander Sato let out a long sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Senator Organa warned me that this would happen. I had hoped otherwise." He drew himself up. "I hope you know what you're doing."

The holoprojector flicked away and Rex shot a glare at Ahsoka. "I thought you said that the commander knew what we'd be doing."

The Togruta blinked innocently. "I lied."

Rex shook his head, wandering over to Rookie to check the scanners. Hawk approached. "Commander, we're ready to begin our jumps. Permission?"

"Of course." Ahsoka smiled, walking over to Ezra. "Sorry, you'll have to return to the medical bay."

Ezra pouted, causing another round of snickers, before Kix wheeled him down the hallway. Ahsoka bent down, picking up Echo, before turning to Rex. "I'm going to rest. Let me know if anything abnormal happens?"

"Of course, Commander." Rex agreed and the Togruta left the room. Rex waited until he was sure she was out of earshot, before grinning. "Who's got the paint?"

* * *

Ahsoka met up with them all again in the canteen. Standing in the doorway, she couldn't stop the smile spreading across her face as the clones welcome Ezra with the gusto and humour she had long been used to. The young Padawan was seated by Nax, laughing away as Zeer and Hawk described one of the many missions the 501st had been on; the craziness that the general that led them possessed and the sheer stubbornness the three Jedi had together. Ahsoka liked to look back on her past from time to time. While there were many memories that she disliked (being expelled from the Order was definitely one), there were still many that made her smile.

"Commander Tano!"

Raising her head, she greeted a waving Boomer with a smile. "Yes?"

"Kix said that if we saw you, we had to make sure you ate something." The clone explained, waving her over. Ahsoka's smile widened and she sank into the seat next to him. "Did he now?"

Rex slid a tray towards her, keeping a sideways glance focused on Ezra. "I hate to inform you, Commander, but you've lost your status as the 'little one of the 501st'."

"I'm not that little anymore, Rex." Ahsoka pointed out, biting down on the meat given to her. "I think I may have lost that title a while ago."

Rex nodded at the point, causing Boomer to speak up. "We'll need to get you a new nickname."

The clones that heard the statement nodded in agreement, causing Ahsoka to roll her eyes. "I'm sure that's something we can work out at a later date. What's the status of our jumps?"

"We've just finishing our third," Rookie supplied. "There are two more before we're entirely confident that we won't lead the Empire back to Phoenix Home in any way."

Ahsoka blinked, frowning. "I didn't realise I'd been asleep for that long."

"They were small jumps," Rookie offered.

"And Kix said you needed it." The glare Rex sent told Ahsoka that they all had worked out that she hadn't been sleeping properly. Her Lekku stripes flushed darker. "I didn't want us to not be prepared."

Rex arched an eyebrow but Cody spoke first. "Have you found anything new out?"

 _Is there any new information about Anakin?_

The question hung in the air heavily. Ezra looked confused. "Anything new about what?"

"The Sith Lord." Ahsoka assured him. "We're in charge of gaining information on him."

The boy nodded, accepting the explanation, as was drawn back into another story, this time by Joc and Boro. Ahsoka turned back to Cody. "Nothing new; just what we've always known."

"Well that's frustrating."

"But also to be expected." Rex countered.

"It's got to be one of the most closely guarded secrets in the Empire anyway." Ahsoka agreed. "Between Him and the Inquisitors, not much information gets out and even less gets passed around. Has Bly and Cody planned anything else?"

Rex shrugged. "They said they have a few ideas that would work but nothing too concrete yet."

" _Would everyone please be aware that we are beginning our fourth run into hyperspace. If you feel the need to throw up, please find the closest Buckethead office."_ Boro's voice echoed throughout the Star Destroyer, rising a few laughs from his brothers. Rex stood. "Okay you lot; dinner's over. We need to complete one more sweep of the ship before our final jump then be prepared for the rebel docking."

As the clones began to groan at the thought of having to go back to work, and began to slowly shuffle out of the room, Ezra leant over to Ahsoka. "Is the rebellion planning on making this the new base?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "Not really, no. It's more of a temporary storage facility and will help us move through Imperial space undetected if absolutely necessary. Hera and Commander Sato are still researching to find an appropriate base."

The Lothal child nodded in agreement, before turning to greet Coric. "Back to the medical bay?"

"Sadly." Coric snickered. "The final two jumps are short; not even a full rotation. Commander Bly said that everything needs to be in position for the emergence into Phoenix Home."

Ahsoka pushed herself up, balancing the tray neatly in one hand. "If that's the case, I'm going to the bridge to keep an eye on things. Ezra, do try to avoid annoying Kix." She smirked. "He's rather handy with a syringe."

* * *

The 501st was both famous and infamous in regards of luck. Yes, they got through nearly all the battles they were involved in and had one of the best track records in terms of survival. However that didn't mean there were never any casualties. So, when they finished their final jump and emerged to see Phoenix Home under attack, the clones couldn't help a groan and a mumble of "Typical."

There were three Star Destroyers and several dozen TIE fighters focused in on the large ship that the rebellion currently called home. Ahsoka, from her spot at the bridge, could see the _Ghost_ darting in and out of the fray, several fighters accompanying their crazy flight, while TIEs whistled past, trying to keep up.

There was no need for the order to be given. The moment everyone had taken in the scene in front of them, Kano was directing clones into the fighters they had and the few TIEs that were spared to immediately aid wherever possible. Gregor had grabbed Del and Nax and the three were hurried to the cannons to take out whatever was in their way while Hawk, Bly and Cody immediately gave up on the 'we're on your side, don't shoot' strategy they had originally agreed on towards the Imperials, and immediately turned the Star Destroyer, which someone had actually painted the large symbol of the republic on the side at some point during their stops, towards the three other destroyers and gave all permission to fire.

Ahsoka couldn't help but fondly roll her eyes, before she turned to Rookie. "Could you please get in contact with Commander Sato?"

"Not a problem at all." Rookie replied, fingers flying over the computer. The doors to the bridge opened and Kix directed Ezra in.

"Hope you don't mind." The medic called. "Kano's getting anyone and everyone ready for the fight and that includes me."

Ahsoka waved a hand dismissively. "Have fun. Keep the comms open; our goal is to get Phoenix Home out as soon as possible. We're about to coordinate with Commander Sato and will send the coordinates for the hyperspace jump as soon as we get them."

Kix gave a salute before winking at Ezra and sprinting off. Ezra took one look outside and paused. "I thought we were avoiding the Empire."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Chance of plans." She handed him her holoprojector. "Let Kanan and Hera know that we've arrived and that you're completely safe."

Ezra fingered the device in his hands nervously. "You know they'll probably send the _Phantom_ to pick me up right?"

"Yes, that is a possibility." Ahsoka agreed. "But it's probably going to be a good idea considering the way the battle seems to be going."

She directed the teenager towards one of the chairs, before marching back to the bridge. "Rookie, keep all scanners open. Is the comm link with the fighters on?"

"Yep, I just finished them. As of right now, they'll be able to hear everything."

Ahsoka crossed her arms. "Okay, Gregor, Del, Nax; I want you to focus all your fire on the TIEs. Do try to avoid our own members please. Commander Bly, Commander Cody, Hawk; how are we going with the destroyers?"

" _We've managed to get some TIEs from Kano._ " Hawk answered. _"From what we can tell, most of the power on the Star Destroyers is focused on cannons and attacking so we should be able to get the TIEs in the right place in order to take them down."_

"Have fun with that." Ahsoka couldn't help laughing. "Rex, is everything ready to be moved?"

" _Yes, we'll be able to get off in a few minutes. Is the_ Phantom _going to be docking?"_

Ahsoka glanced over her shoulder at Ezra, who was in a heated conversation with Sabine. "I'm not sure at the moment. I will handle getting Ezra off the Destroyer. Is my ship still in the hangar?"

" _Yes."_ Kano answered.

"Good. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Rookie looked surprised. "Ah, Commander Tano, I don't think that's the best of ideas."

"No it's probably not," Ahsoka agreed cheerily. "But if Vader's among them, my presence on the battlefield will give you time to help Phoenix Home jump so it's the best one I've got right now."

" _I agree with Rookie, Commander,"_ Kano protested but Ahsoka ignored him, placing a hand on Ezra's shoulder and looking at the figure of Sabine.

"Hello, Sabine. We're more than likely going to end up crashing or destroying the ship we're currently on. The clones and I will hold off the Imperials; tell Hera to instruct Phoenix Home to jump. If Kanan wants to dock here to get Ezra, he has about five minutes of safe time to do so."

The artist paused, leaning out of the holoprojector, obviously to relay the message to Hera. A moment later, the holo changed, now displaying Hera in the pilot seat, still focused on the battle.

"Ahsoka, I agree with your idea. I'm going to call a 'fall back' to the rest of Phoenix squad. Get Ezra out, okay?"

The Twi'lek vanished before Ahsoka even had time to reply and she shrugged, looking up at the only clone left on the bridge. "Rookie, don't worry about contacting Sato. I want you to relay to everyone on this vessel that if they're not off in six minutes, they're going to experience a rather large explosion. Everyone has to be off at a maximum of four minutes. Ezra, you're with me."

The teenager stood, looking confused, while Rookie nodded, abandoning his call to Commander Sato and instead focusing on Gregor. "Why?"

Ahsoka tilted her head as she led the way towards the hangar. "Hera tells me you're a good shoot and I may need a gunner considering the mess outside."

"You're going to let me shoot for you?" Ezra summarised, still looking very confused but somewhat excited.

"Of course." Ahsoka replied and then smiled. "Kanan might try to kill me for doing so but it's probably safer than staying around here."

* * *

Ezra regretted his decision very quickly. Kano greeted them at the hangar bay, barking orders over his shoulder and gesturing towards Ahsoka's ship. The clone was gone quickly, watching over the evacuation, while Ahsoka helped Ezra into the gunner seat. She grinned. "Remember to hit the Imperials only."

Ezra snorted. "Naturally."

But the second they were in the battle, Ezra wondered if he could even keep up with Ahsoka. He'd heard from Rex that the Togruta was an insanely good pilot (the clone had been more than happy to share as many stories about the Clone Wars as Ezra wanted), but he hadn't properly realised that _Ahsoka was an insanely good pilot._ She was able to weave and dodge her way through the thick of the fight; barely leaving Ezra any time to catch up to what she was doing, let alone her enemies. After a few moments of stunned surprise, Ezra kicked his head into gear and turned the gun towards an approaching TIE, firing.

" _Nice shot, Ezra."_ Ahsoka called over the comms. _"Now, here's a challenge for you. See those TIEs heading for Phoenix home?"_

"The ones that are firing at it?" Ezra responded sarcastically.

Unlike Kanan, who appreciated Ezra's sarcastic banter in nearly all scenarios, unless it was severely uncalled for, Ahsoka completely brushed off his response, acting as though he'd simply said 'yes'.

" _Let's see if you can shoot them."_

The _Ghost_ joined their offensive quickly and Ezra paused to wave at Sabine, who'd taken the top turrets. The artist fondly rolled her eyes back with a smile and Ezra felt Ahsoka dive under the _Ghost_ , speeding off to the side before turning the craft on its side, giving Ezra easy pickings of the TIEs who'd finished one wave of attacks and were heading back for another.

" _Phoenix home to Phoenix squad!_ " Commander Sato's voice emitted from the comms. _"Coordinates set. Prepare to jump._ "

" _Sorry, Ezra. Fun's over."_

"We barely got to do anything." Ezra protested. Ahsoka laughed. _"Look behind you."_

Confused as to why she wanted him to do that, Ezra spun in his seat to face the three Star Destroyers. Mere moments before the world became a familiar blue, he watched with stunned satisfaction as the stolen Star Destroyer turned Republic Cruiser acted as a battering ram, hitting the outer-most Destroyer, forcing it into the other two.

"Did the clones get off in time?" Ezra asked hurriedly.

" _Don't worry. They were off about a minute ago. They'll be the last to jump."_ Ahoksa replied, leaning back in her chair. " _The jump won't take too long, so take the time to contact the_ Ghost."

Ezra did as she said, watching as Kanan and Hera appeared on the holoprojector. Hera greeted him with a warm smile while Kanan still looked rather on edge.

"Hey guys."

"Ezra," Hera replied. "How did everything go on your end? No causalities?"

"Everything's fine here." Ezra reassured them. "Where do you want me to meet you guys?"

Ahsoka flicked off the internal commlinks with a smile, before turning to her own holoprojector. "Well, Rex, how did it go?"

"We lost the Destroyer." Commander Cody pointed out. "But we did manage to salvage some confidential Imperial plans from it, so it's not a complete loss."

Commander Bly continued. "There were no casualties. Ross reported that a TIE damaged a few ships but nothing too drastic or life threatening."

Ahsoka rested her cheek against her hand. "So, overall, we accomplished the goal only to blow it up."

Rex was the one to replying, shrugging. "I don't know, Commander. That seems pretty normal to me."

"What's the next plan?" Ahsoka asked. Bly and Cody shared a glance. "I think a few of the men may have some ideas but currently nothing concrete. When we regroup at Phoenix home, we'll begin devising some new tactics."

Ahsoka gave them a nod, before switching her holo off. As she watched the blueness of hyperspace give way to the sight of several planets and moons, she couldn't help but smile. The Empire took so much from everyone that she knew. It was only natural that they would get their dues at some point, right?

* * *

 **Okay, I don't really have an excuse as to why this took so long. I had been working on planning another story of mine and that combined with life, uni and that season finale got me a bit distracted.**

 **Anyway, speaking of season finale, that was brilliant. If anyone can find where I can get the music for the battle between Vader and Ahsoka, please let me know because it's amazing.** **Everyone I know that's involved with Star Wars Rebels has been freaking out over the fight but I keep getting stuck on Maul's nickname for Ahsoka. 'Lady Tano'. Now, I want to story behind that, please.**

 **Anyway, I'm happy to take suggestions for what you'd like to see the 501st do. The next few chapters are planned but I'm happy to keep going for as long as people have ideas.**

 **I just realised that I haven't placed a disclaimer yet and I felt it would be rather obvious but I only own the story line and plot. The characters have their own lives - I just borrow them.**


	5. For Lunn, Vere and Ged

**In which the clones wait for Ahsoka to leave, sneak into Darth Vader's Imperial ship with the aid of Sabine Wren and spray paint the Sith's fighter bright pink. Why? Same reason as usual. Because they could.**

 _A thanks to Songbird's Call for the suggestion._

Now, Sabine prided herself on being a sensible, if somewhat pyro-manic, person. So when Rex and Gregor approached her, asking if they could borrow a tin or two of the brightest colour that she had, she was naturally curious. There were the men (and woman because Ahsoka had to be counted) who had hijacked a Star Destroyer not two weeks before and then completely destroyed simply because they could. If they were going to prank someone, she _wanted in._

So, staring at the two clone soldiers, Sabine leant back in her chair, crossed her arms and smirked. "What's in it for me?"

She knew she made the right choice when the clones smirked right back at her. What she hadn't been expecting was to sneak off the _Ghost_ while Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka were away on Jedi business and Hera and Zeb had been doing supply runs, to join the clones on whatever ship they were using at the time. Normally, she'd hate to leave the _Ghost_ completely unprotected but the clones helped her put up massive amounts of traps and alarms that could only be passed by those who either lived on the ship, knew someone and trusted them or a combination of the two. Sabine left a note on the table, before sprinting to meet up with the clones.

In addition to this, everyone in the rebellion knew that the clones, specifically Rex, Cody and Bly had basically written the handbook for the Empire's communications so they were cleared in moments, Hawk casually directing the ship towards the Star Destroyer's hanger bay. Rex gave Sabine a smile. "Okay, we've got five Buckethead uniforms. You, me, Nax, Dogma and Rookie will be Storm Troopers for the day while the other lot drives everyone away from the hangar bay."

"How do you want to paint the TIE?" Sabine replied, nodding to Rex's plan. "We can just dump the cans on it, but that's never very fun. We can use a few of my bombs but that might get paint everywhere else and that might ruin the surprise. Or we can use _all_ the paint and just go crazy on the hangar."

"I like the way this one thinks!" One of the clones called from the bridge as he loaded his blaster. Sabine glanced over at him, identifying him as Boomer, while the clone continued; "I say, if we're pranking one, we might as well prank them all."

There was a laugh in response from Coric. "Can you imagine if an Inquisitor was on board and we got their TIE as well?"

There were several laughing discussions from then on as they flew into the hangar. Sabine glared hatefully at the Storm Trooper helmet, earning another laugh from one of the clones and they disembarked calmly.

"Okay, keep calm," Nax muttered over the comms. "We've got to head towards the main hallway."

"On the count of ten, the others will begin their raid." Rex continued. He glanced towards Sabine. "Sabine, got the paint?"

Sabine shrugged her shoulders, causing her backpack to rattle. "All good."

"Remember, Vader's TIE is the main target." Rex explained. "Once that's done; you can finish the rest. We only have five minutes to get this done."

"The commander's going to be so angry when she finds out." Dogma groaned, receiving snickers from Rookie and Nax in response.

"Nah." Rookie responded. "She'll be mad we didn't invite her."

Sabine decided that she would ask Hera if she could spend a week with these guys. Rex led the group off the ramp and turned, heading towards one of the exits. Sabine trotted after him, excitedly counting down in her head. Five seconds left.

 _Five_.

The lead Buckethead greeted them, asking what they needed and how long until they were on their way again.

 _Four_.

Rex replied calmly, gesturing to who Sabine assumed was Nax, and discussed the possibility of an infirmary run due to a rebel attack.

 _Three_.

Nax immediately began to sway as he stood, trying to appear as though he was suffering from an injury.

 _Two_.

Nax collapsed and the lead Buckethead moved forward, gesturing behind him to call over medics.

 _One_.

Kano burst out of the ship with what could only be described as explosive enthusiasm, several clones that Sabine couldn't place from the distance joining him. They yelled out a rally cry and began to fire, stunning several of the bucketheads in their moment of surprise. Who Sabine assumed to be Attie led the second charge; his group sprinting passed Kano and charged for the far-off door, taking down any and all Storm Troopers.

Nax leapt to his feet, slamming the butt of his blaster against the lead Buckethead's head; a movement echoed by Rex, Dogma and Rookie. Sabine slipped the backpack off her shoulders, dumping it on the floor, and immediately dug out the spray cans she'd brought with her. She tossed one to each of the clones and they took off, sprinting towards the large TIE fighter that had been identified as Darth Vader's.

Sabine grabbed her own spray can in one hand, her backpack in the other, and sprinted after them. Rex turned to face her, boosting her up to an area where she could clamber onto the top of the TIE. Getting a grip on the TIE, Sabine bent over the dark metal and set to work.

She could hear the sound of blaster exchange and barely flinched as a bolt whizzed past her ear. Dogma yelled something over his shoulder as he sprayed the bottom of the TIE, his tone more teasing than angry, which got a laughing response from Hawk. The pilot was refuelling the ship they'd commandeered to get onto the ship, casually watching the fight with vague amusement.

Sabine stuffed the pink spray can into her bag and dug out one of her miracles. She planted the bomb carefully in the middle of the TIE before sitting back on her knees and admiring her work. The miracle wouldn't destroy the TIE; it would just short-circuit all the other fighters and decorate the hangar bay with the same neon pink that Darth Vader's fighter now sported.

"Sabine! You finished?" Rookie called up. She poked her head over the side. "Yeah, coming down."

She slid off the TIE, careful to avoid disturb the wet paint too much, and landed right by the clone. He shared a wicked grin before Kano caught their attention. "Oi! Time to go."

Sabine quickly zipped her backpack closed, grabbing the spray cans from each of the clones, and they sprinted across the hangar bay and into the ship. Hawk was sitting in the pilot seat, still with the expression of mild amusement decorating his face, ready to go. He glanced at Rex. "Let me know when the last one's in."

Rex nodded in agreement, already heading back towards the ramp while Bow slipped into the co-pilot seat. Commander Bly stood by the cockpit door while Sabine could hear the clones rushing around, preparing for take-off.

" _We're all free. Go."_ Rex called through the comms and Hawk flew them out of the hangar. Sabine shared a glance with Boomer, who was standing next to her, and began to count down from five. She received a strange glance from Bly and Cody, but only gave them a smirk in response. Upon reaching zero, she pressed the button on the detonator in her hand.

"What did that do?" Cody asked, curious. Sabine gave him a smile. "It worked a miracle. I just wish I could've seen it."

Darth Vader stormed into the hangar bay of the Star Destroyer and took in the state of destruction. There were several injured Storm Troopers, all the fighters and even the Star Destroyer itself had been shot, currently leaving them stranded in space until they could restart the engines.

But what annoyed him the most was the fact that his TIE fighter had been painted _bright neon pink_ and an explosion had rocked the hangar bay not one minute after those traitorous clones had left. Every member of the Imperial forces knew of the 'Artist' but now they got to see her work up close and personal. Splattered against the roof above his fighter was the symbol of the rebellion in orange paint. That alone was insulting and Darth Vader was absolutely livid at the actions that the clones had done that resulted in the blasted symbol being there. However, it didn't end there. The clones had left one final present for him; one he doubted even the 'Artist' knew about.

Splashed smugly across the front of his TIE fighter and on several other places around the hangar bay, in bold black paint sat the symbol of the Galactic Republic.

 **Yeah, I have no excuse for being late with updating and for the rather shite work this one-shot is. Honestly all I can say is sorry.**

 **If anyone has any other ideas they would like me to add to this story, either leave them in a review or send me a private message.**


	6. For Skyguy and Snips

**The trip to Malachor opened up lots of wounds.**

 **For Skyguy and Snips.**

* * *

When he hears her voice for the first time in fifteen years, ringing out across the Sith temple, still holding that little bit of bite, Vader immediately squashes that tiny bit of Anakin Skywalker; that little bit of hope. He is not that person and this woman is nothing.

He faces her and, again, has to squash the pride that welled up inside him. Despite being in her thirties, despite the hardships she obviously faced, despite how much she's grown, this is still Ahsoka Tano; his, _no, Anakin Skywalker's,_ Padawan. She stands there, Lekku longer, Montrals taller, stripes and face-markings both different and the same, taller but still thinly built, the light thrown from the temple reminding him of that day and he watches as her lips press together in a thin line and her face hardens and her hands tighten on her lightsabers and he _remembers._

But that one moment is gone, buried under the hatred for the Jedi and the sorrow of losing Padmé and everyone, _and Ahsoka_ , and he greets her for the first time in fifteen years. There's no 'good to see you, Skyguy', no 'Hello Snips', no real shred of acknowledgement between them until she snarls that she thought she knew who he was and for that moment, once again, he feels conflicted.

That is when he decides that she is clearly a threat. How dare she make him feel this conflicted? She is one person that _Anakin Skywalker_ knew years ago and Darth Vader is clearly not that man anymore. Anakin Skywalker was weak and he is gone and he tells her as much. There's a flash of pain, as if she was expecting to be greeted with open arms or something similarly as stupid, and then a familiar glare comes over her face.

"Then I will avenge his death."

Without missing a beat, he responds; "Revenge is not the Jedi way."

 _Had she really fallen that far?_

The pain returns and he wants to be Anakin at the moment. This woman was like his sister, his daughter, his closest friend next to Obi-Wan Kenobi ( _no don't think about them now_ ). He'd long promised to never hurt her and look where they were now.

Her statement of "I am no Jedi." shocks him and he remembers the first time he met her, their first few missions.

" _I am a Jedi Knight… or soon will be."_

There was so much pride in her voice about the ranking, so much potential and belief. Where has it vanished to?

As she draws her sabers, Darth Vader wonders when that goal was destroyed. Was it really when those stupid Council members expelled her? Or was she still holding on to the days of old? Was it Order 66? He laughed in his mind. Ahsoka had as much right to hate the Order as he did; it would be easy to lure her over. So he draws his own lightsaber and braces for her attack.

Ahsoka has always been fast; a trait dominate in the Togruta species, and she dodges his blows with grace and ease. She still holds her lightsabers backwards; a habit he, _no - Anakin,_ never broke her out of. When he turns her, he'll make sure that she learns how to do it right. He's lucky that Anakin Skywalker was at least physically strong because he can push her back with ease. He doesn't want to leave the Holocron but Ahsoka's not letting him move towards it, towards the teenage that lay cowering on the floor moments earlier.

So they fight, lightsabers flashing and Vader stares in the familiar eyes. There's a sorrow there, deep down. She hates doing this, he can tell. But there's anger. Not the same anger that drives him; no. It's righteous anger, it's the anger of all those he's struck down. Vader realises that Ahsoka is more dangerous than he thought. She won't turn to the dark side. It's in her eyes, clear as day. Ahsoka isn't turning to the dark side but she's also no longer aligned with the light.

This woman isn't Snips and his heart hardens, finally crushing Anakin Skywalker. This woman isn't who she seems, she's not here to outstretch her hand and lead him back. She strikes to harm, to kill in that vicious way she always had and he knows that she doesn't see him as Anakin Skywalker.

She sees him as Darth Vader and he is a threat to her friends, her cause and her own life.

He doesn't know how long the fight goes on. One part of his brain drifts away, thinking of it as a simple sparring match between them, when she was smaller and he was less angry. But when her sabers get too close to his head and he brings his own up to clash with them, he realises then and there that she's thinking the same thing. She's seeing what he sees and she hates it.

He gestures, sending her flying off the wall and storms back towards the Holocron. He is not leaving without it. The boy has a friend, a man wearing a Temple Guardian mask, and they're pulling the Holocron free. Darth Vader feels the wave of energy and he scowls beneath his mask, watching as they move to leave and one hand extending to pull it towards him.

The man catches the boy. Vader can hear words being yelled between the two and he tightens his grip. The boy's eyes flit behind him for a moment and he turns. Something lands on his chest, his saber is deflected and for a mere moment, he sees Ahsoka's face before a flash of white takes over his vision.

He cries out in pain, falling, and he hears the clunk as part of his mask breaks away and hits the ground. Air brushes against his face and he's shocked by her action. She knew who he was and it didn't matter. Her lightsaber was aimed to kill him. Again, that proud sensation wells up in his chest. He, because he can't deny that he and Anakin Skywalker are the same person, taught her well.

He can hear the boy yelling for Ahsoka, his eyes flitting over to see her pushing herself up from the ground and her name slips out of his lips. She freezes, turning around in shock and their eyes meet.

"Ahsoka." He repeats her name, not caring that his voice box was breaking and that he is beginning to talk with Anakin's voice, and she replies, "Anakin."

They stand, her eyes studying him, fingers tightening on her sabers like she always did and then her shoulders straighten.

"I won't leave you. Not this time."

He can feel the sun on his skin for a moment. The smell of Coruscant wafts around him, his hair moves in the slight wind. The temple is behind him, the stairs are in front of him. Ahsoka stands, eyes teary but shoulder's drawn together.

" _Why… are you doing this?"_

" _The council didn't trust me," she replies, turning away from him, "so how can I trust myself?"_

" _What about me? I believed in you, I stood by you."_

" _I know you believe in me, Anakin, and I'm grateful for that. But this isn't about you. I can't stay here any longer. Not now."_

" _The Jedi Order is your life. You can't just throw it away like this. Ahsoka, you are making a mistake!"_

" _Maybe." Her words are strong. "But I have to sort this out on my own. Without the council. And without you."_

" _I understand. More than you realise, I understand wanting to walk away from the Order."_

" _I know."_

Ahsoka's eyes narrow at him and he knows she's thinking the same thing. The wind rustles his cape and he realises for the first time what she's doing. She's standing on those steps, silently pleading with him to let her help him like he tried to do all those years ago.

His eyes narrow in anger. She left.

"Then you will die."

His voice box is broken and he can hear Anakin Skywalker's voice ringing out over the temple. Ahsoka narrows her eyes in return, pressing her lips together and she turns away from him to send the boy flying backwards, out of the temple before catching his lightsaber against her own.

The fight is a blur and he doesn't remember what happens honestly. His vision is often clouded with memories and he knows she's experiencing the same.

The last thing he remembers is her eyes. Still full of life and emotion and, as he crawls away from the wrecked temple, he buries those emotions for the last time.

* * *

The 501st lands on Malachor, Hawk carefully lowering the gang plank but none of them move. There is a chance that Ahsoka didn't walk away from this and none of them are ready to accept that fate.

Rex moves first, one hand grabbing his helmet, tucking it under his arm, and his other hand holding his blaster. "Are we ready?"

There isn't any need for ranks on this mission. In fact, Sato didn't even know they were gone. This was something they all agreed needed to be done alone. Without the rebellion. The clones stand slowly, faces grim and disembarked the ship. The surface of the planet was rocky and barren but a large wreckage stood out. A convor flew overhead, song calling out as they trudged to the wreckage. There were familiar signs of lightsabers on the walls, leaving long, charred lines, and the whole temple was destroyed, appearing to have occurred due to a blast.

Rex goes in first, his helmet on his head and his blaster in his hands and they all walk down the winding paths silently. There was no noise, the place is silent. The walls are black and Rex can hear the occasional person stopping to study the runes on the wall in curiosity before they jog to catch up. Upon reaching a fork in the road, there was no need for discussions, the clones breaking up into two groups. Slowly the groups become smaller and smaller as the tunnels continued to spread until Rex was by himself, walking as calmly as possible through the dark temple.

He reaches a large open area with a large pyramid-like structure in the middle. There are large chunks of the roof laying haphazardly around the room and the only light descends from a hole in the ceiling. He walks around the pyramid, surveying the room once again, before sighing.

There was one last doorway on the far-side of the room. Parts of the roof had fallen around it, making it appear in the shape of a triangle. Hoping for the best, Rex walked towards it, stepping inside. A familiar figure appeared in his gaze. She sat calmly, legs folded, head bent, and hands in lap. Her limbs were bandaged with parts of her uniform and she was covered in soot and dirt and grim. Not that that wasn't an unfamiliar sight.

Ahsoka turns her head to face him and smiled.

* * *

 **There was going to be more honestly but I thought this would be a good way to end it. Until I can think of more ideas, this story will be marked as complete but I will add more chapters if I get inspiration. Originally this chapter was just going to be a oneshot in regards to how Vader saw the fight on Malachor but it slowly descended into whatever this is.**

 **This is based on the strong belief that Ahsoka is alive and I refuse to think anything else. Of course, the bad things still happen and Ezra is still the depressed blueberry that he is now but I refuse to allow Ahsoka to die.**

 **There are quotes in here from the Wrong Jedi, a scene I'm sure many of you recognise.** **Okay, final disclaimer; I don't own this universe. Mainly because I'm not smart enough to come up with stuff like all this. Thanks to everyone who read my story, favourited it, followed it and reviewed it. You're lifesavers!**


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